


Checking Out

by levisjeans



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alive Grisha Yeager, College Student Eren Yeager, Dead Carla Yeager, Domestic Violence, Lawyer Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Leviprotectseren, M/M, Murder, Sub!Eren, courtcase, dom!levi, levithinkserenisalittleshit, therewillbesmut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-12
Updated: 2017-06-04
Packaged: 2018-05-19 20:50:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 11,874
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5980591
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/levisjeans/pseuds/levisjeans
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eren's father, Grisha, was working on a secret government serum to create the ultimate soldier, called the "Titan Experiment." When it became outlawed in the United States, he began to perform tests on unwilling participants- including family. He throws himself so far into his work, he murders Carla Yeager and flees the country. Years later, Eren is a college student living with his two best friends, when his father reappears in his life... and Eren meets a gruff, infuriatingly handsome lawyer named Levi Ackerman.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. That Man

Eren POV

Eren stood on the train platform with a few people, shifting in impatience. It was cold, unbelievably cold.  
That man, he looked like a businessman- lawyer maybe? Clad in black slacks, a white button up, and immaculately shined black shoes, his black suit jacket slung over his left shoulder. He didn't wear a tie, the top buttons of the shirt undone, exposing the creamy skin of his throat. He was petite, but obviously well built- his shirt sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, baring strong forearms. He looked like he'd been carved out of stone, not a part of his body seemed soft- except for his lips, slightly parted and set in a permanent neutral expression. He looked bored, ignoring the people around him, seemingly preferably so. His hair was an inky blue-black, parted slightly off center, a few stray pieces falling in his face, and shaved into a detailed undercut, dipping down gracefully to the nape of his neck.

Everything about him was precise. He was beautiful.

It seemed like he didn't notice Eren gawking- or, if he did, he didn't seem to care. After a minute, he pulled out his phone and began to tap on the screen with pale, slender fingers.  
Eren tore his gaze away and looked down at himself. He was wearing his favorite military coat. It was made of heavy wool, dark olive green, long to his knees, and buckled at the waist. It had two rows of silver buttons on its breast, for decoration. He had thrown on a pair of black jeans, tucked into his combat boots. His hair, untameable by nature, stuck out wherever it pleased and was gently ruffled by the cold wind. He had slung his messenger bag over his shoulder by its black leather strap.

He was on his way to see Armin, the blonde coconut whom he considered his best friend, before class, having been roped into trying a new coffee shop on the loop. So here he was, in the weak hours of the morning, standing on a windy train platform with a fucking handsome man. He took a deep breath and tilted his head back, exhaling at the sky. It was early, dark bruise tinged with lavender as night gave way to morning. He rolled his eyes over to the man- and was startled.

He was looking at him-no-not him-his throat. His eyes were angular, a steely grey that gave way to blue rimming his iris. They traveled lazily up to meet Eren's gaze, neutral expression not so much as having twitched. The man hadn't turned his head, simply peered up from beneath dark lashes, thumb poised over the phone in his hand. It felt like ages as the man held Eren's gaze, challenging him. He swallowed nervously. The longer Eren looked, the more he noticed the movement in the man's eyes. Steely hardness gave way to liquid mercury, slipping and sliding in those depths, making him dizzy. 

A bell announced the approach of the train. The man returned his eyes to his phone, placing it in his pocket and stepping forward on the platform. Eren let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. Rooted to the spot, people parted like a sea around him, shuffling into the open doors of the waiting carriage. He looked back over to where he'd seen the man, finding the place he had been previously standing in empty. 

"Shit," Eren breathed out shakily.  
His knees felt like jelly.  
"Who the fuck was that?"

Oh, and he missed the train.


	2. That Brat

Levi was standing on the platform at the train station.

_Fucking shitty glasses, better have finished the damn paperwork for the new investors._

_Who am I kidding, sure as shit she was poking dead things all night._

He always got to the office before Hange (aforementioned shitty glasses) and Erwin, preferring the building when it was empty, quiet,  
shuffling around with a mug of black tea, watching the light of the early morning reflect off the courtyard fountain, dancing across every surface.  
That is, until Hange came barging in the front doors, Erwin on her heels. Even the blonde giant was no match for the crazy bitch.

There were only a few people on the train platform this morning, the weather and early time discouraging most from venturing outside. Still, some unfortunate souls milled about, red noses and cheeks peeking out from scarves.  
He waited impatiently, jacket slung over his left shoulder, the cold didn't bother him much.  
He knew his aura oozed menace, he didn't feel like dealing with idiots this early in the morning.  
After all, you always do hear about some innocent bystander suddenly ending up on the train tracks. _Tch._ Accidents happen.

But he was focused on another thing, another **someone**.  
He knew he was being watched, could practically track the eyes roaming his body. He was used to it- he was attractive, after all. His demeanor afforded him the ability of sending onlookers scurrying like mice, sinful silver eyes narrowed in loathing so black not even the devil could break him, though he was welcome to try. 

But that idiot hadn't stopped gawking at him. Instead he traced Levi's expression almost deliberately, curiously. Either he was too incredibly stupid to catch the "fuck off" vibes Levi was practically radiating, or he didn't care.

_hm._

Eventually, the sensation of eyes boring into his skin left Levi.  
So he glanced at the offender.

He was young- maybe in college- and taller than Levi. From his profile, he could see tan skin reddened from the cold, a strong nose and jawline. Broad shoulders led down to a sloped waist, lanky legs shifting for warmth in the cold. As he watched, the kid looked down at himself in silent contemplation. 

_Nice ass._

The boy rolled his head back then, messy chocolate bangs brushing over his eyes, exposing his throat as he exhaled a breath, the puff of white vapor dissipating quickly. Levi's gaze roamed lazily over the skin of the boy's throat, he found himself wondering what explicit sounds he could coax by laving his tongue over that smooth expanse of skin...

 _Fuck._ When he finally noticed him looking, Levi held his gaze with a challenge. Most people would have submitted immediately, dropping their eyes to the ground in a desperate attempt to appease the object of their prying. But those eyes didn't waver, green like emeralds. Not that pale, weak green like a steaming cup of green tea- a deep forest green, rebellious, passionate. They were like him, _they wouldn't break..._

A bell announced the approaching train. Levi slipped his phone into his pocket, easing into the throng of people scuttling towards waiting carriages.

_See everyone around us, green eyes? They're weak, they give in. We're unbreakable.  
What is it you've seen?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *sheepish smile*  
> Ah, hello again!  
> Sorry about the whirlwind trip to Boston-  
> But on the bright side I've pre-written like five more chapters,  
> just have to start editing.
> 
> And I had so many ideas for other works while in Boston!  
> I'm still not sure in which direction I'm taking Levi and Eren's personalities yet,  
> personally I like dom, stoic Levi and passionate, brash Eren.
> 
> Deuces. -K


	3. Mornings are Hell Reincarnate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dammit Sasha, watch where you're going. You're going to give poor Connie a heart attack.

"Isn't your court case tomorrow?"  
Eren looked up from his steaming mocha. "Yeah."  
"It'll be okay, Eren. Mikasa and I are here for you, you know? And we'll be in the courtroom. I know you've been to hell and back these past few months, and the years before...well you're not alone anymore." Armin spoke quickly, then fell silent, rubbing his neck nervously. He didn't know what to say. Eren let out a breath, forcing a smile onto his face, "I love you guys, Thanks, Armin," then, "You're hair is starting to get so long, you look like Christa." That broke the uncomfortable silence, a smile breaking out on Armin's face as he tried ( and failed) to hold back his intense giggles. Eren reached across the table and poked him, trying to get him to crack, and he yelped, trying to escape Eren's hands by hopping over the back of the chair. He leaned over, hands on his knees while he caught his breath.  
"You're evil." Eren took a sip from his cup and flipped him off. "I know."

Just then, the owner of the coffeshop and a classmate, Sasha, fell, shards of plates and broken coffeemug handles scattering across the floor. Armin and Eren jumped up, hurrying over to Sasha as Connie emerged from the back- "What was- Sasha!" She groaned as Armin helped her sit up, "ow, ow, owwwwww." "What happened?" Eren asked. She blinked blearily. "I was looking at the cakes in the window, thinking I might have a slice of coconut later...guess the floor was wet." She cringed, holding her elbow, "ow..." Armin helped her up and offered her his shoulder, sliding into a nearby booth. While Connie went to get ice for the impressive knot starting to swell on the back of her head, Eren checked his watch.

 _Shit, I'm going to be late for Art History with Mrs. Ral._  
"Armin, I gotta go. Class is starting in ten and I've got to get across campus." "Not like you're ever on time anyway."  
"Dude, stfu." Armin chuckled, having already forgotten the grim subject of their earlier conversation. Eren grabbed his bag and dashed out the glass door, sprinting to the bus stop. Armin called a goodbye over his shoulder, tending to Sasha.

Levi walked into his office that morning greeted with sight of Hanji's ass wiggling from under his desk. He slapped a hand over his eyes, "God dammit shitty glasses, I didn't need to see that fucking shit this goddamn early in the morning...or ever. Let's make that ever. " She popped out from under the desk, glasses balanced precariously on the end of her nose, brown strands of hair escaping her, usually messy anyway, ponytail.  
"I though I saw a mouse under your desk!" Levi stiffened. No way in hell was there a disease-ridden, filthy, satanic furball-"but its okay! I must be seeing things. Oh and there was this experiment I was running last night with narcotics..."  
He held up a finger. "Too- goddamn- early, shitty glasses." She kept on, like he said nothing, "and that's how I discovered mice are thirty times more likely to combust if given a hallucinogen!" She turned to him. "Anyway, you seem to be having a morning. Did mister grumpy gills not have his tea?"  
"Fuck you."  
"No thanks, I've got myself a big, tall Moblit. Where's your special man?" Levi's eye twitched in warning

Hanji sprinted, cackling, out of his office, narrowly escaping the stapler he heaved at her face.


	4. Walking in the Snow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyo!  
> Fuck, sorry guys, I would have posted this sooner.  
> I literally had it all typed out and....my laptop deleted it.  
> I hate technology.  
> Technology hates me.
> 
> Anyway, here's Chapter 5--OR IS IT?  
> I'm so lame.  
> -K

It was still cold today. Eren trudged down the sidewalk, homebound, the buildings of the university slowly disappearing behind him. He'd been late to class this morning, but his teacher hadn't scolded him. Nowadays, most people walked on glass around him. 

_Careful, you might stir the beast!_

_Shut up, Jean._ God bless Marco.

His hands were still caked in flecks of dried paints, fisted deep in the pockets of his coat. He'd returned to the studio later in the day, Mrs. Ral having opened it for him to work solitarily.

_Yes, one of our best and brightest! Able to create such emotion, such pain, but also such love with a stroke of his brush. The world in his head is cruel, but it is also beautiful._

It wasn't beautiful, now that the galestorm he'd lived in for so long had finally overturned his teetering ship. Here it wavered, here its mast split in two, here it became enveloped by Charbydis. The water was red, red like the wine of drunken fools, and murderers. 

He'd stayed really late, it was almost 11:30, pitch black outside except for streetlamps, flickering in their neglect, few and far in between. The buses from campus had stopped running a long time ago. So he'd walked. 

But he wanted the cold, needed icy needles on his skin to chase the heat from his body, to help him forget-  
the aching bones and cold kitchen tiles pressed against his cheek.  
The hair stiff with blood, dripping, wet, into open palms.  
The fearful homecoming, the headiness of the wine- Red! Red!  
Everything, red!

I felt everything, and I felt nothing. Bursts of white pain exploded like fireworks behind closed eyelids,  
screaming, fuzzy with time and the fading innocence of a small boy, a boy with his mother's eyes. 

It was snowing, now. 

_"Where is my little Eren? Wherever could he be?"_

I stumbled. 

_Mama! Mama! Here I am!_

_There's my little titan!"_

My breath came in gasps.

_I love you, my Eren-"_

I grip my arms. I slump onto the nearest doorstep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, I know these chapter are short. Seriously, if you guys want more per chapter, hmu in comments and tell me.  
> Deuces. -K


	5. Overtime

Levi was finishing paperwork for tomorrow's domestic abuse hearing. Grisha Jaeger, 40, murders Carla Jaeger after several years of well-hidden domestic abuse. The couple had a five year old son, Eren Jaeger. The boy had been in the house at that time, just old enough that he would remember the years of torment, but still so soft. _"What a pity,"_ most said, _"the poor thing doesn't even understand what was going on."_. But they were wrong, Levi knew they were wrong. These things were not _"beyond their years."_ At five years old, a kid fully understands the gravity of such a loss and of the danger. There is no ignorance to protect them. Their innocence is slowly stripped away with each mottled bruise and broken bone.  
And the boy, Eren. The police had found him curled up on the kitchen tiles, surrounded by a pool of water and scattered glass that surely came from a midnight drink, which had cut his palms and forearms when he had, they assumed, collapsed, overwhelmed. He had been rocking back and forth slowly, one hand clasped over his exposed ear, the other containing more bits of shattered glass, as if he'd squeezed it too hard and broken it in his palm. Blood dripped down onto the tiles.  
They'd found Carla in the master bedroom, her skull crushed by a heavy lamp, which was found a few feet away, and she'd put up a fight. Defensive injuries and postmortem bruises littered her forearms, which she'd probably used to stop blows to her face and ribs. Skin and blood found underneath her fingernails were DNA-matched to Grisha Jaeger, the smiling husband in the wedding photo above the bed, now splashed with blood. There had been no sign of Grisha in the home when the police arrived, only the battered corpse of the woman and the child.  
The abusers were always demented fucks, most often well-respected men who released pent-up stress on their families, in private, but to the outside world remained a cool and impassive leader, a progressive, a symbol of ingenuity in government, or business, or medicine. As a highly esteemed doctor, he had been entrusted with experimental drugs to create a "superhuman" vaccine for militaristic use. It was called the "Titan Experiment." At first, he did appear to be a kind man, helping the military out of pressure, not want. But over time, he became devoted to his work. He eventually began to run low on funding, and turned to selling small dosages of the superhuman drug on the black market to continue. Then he had gotten into the performance enhancing drugs himself, to keep him focused on his work. But he became destructive, high-strung, and stressed- a mere shell of a man.  
All this time, Carla had refused to leave him. The abuse was well-concealed, the neighbors suspicious of Grisha's late homecomings and days where he did not return home, but they'd only chalked it up to a possible affair, never guessing it ran so deep. The neighbors that had been interviewed described Carla as kind and immensely forgiving of Grisha. Until he started abusing the boy. A loud argument was reported that day, something about Carla leaving with Eren, then screaming, and silence. When the police arrived, Grisha was gone. 

He looked at the only picture on file- Grisha Jaeger's. The picture was recent. His hair had grown long and was littered with grey. His skin was a sickly yellow color, his eyes bloodshot. The drugs sure did a number on him. He'd been on the run for thirteen years, discovered running a human testing lab in Mexico six months ago, where he had continued the "Titan Experiment," after it was banned by the United States for being an extremely dangerous form of biological warfare, which they feared would lead the world into a new era of terrorism.  
The test subjects were meant to be volunteers, but in his Mexican facility, they had uncovered cages of immigrants betrayed and sold off to the center by coyotes. Some were so far gone they were animalistic, foaming at the mouth and snapping at rescuers. Those had had to be killed, to put them out of suffering. The youngest was a boy no older than five, just like Eren. He had clawed at the police who had rescued him, snapping at their fingers, growling. Then his eyes had rolled into the back of his head, he had convulsions, and he died.  
They had finally caught Grisha Jaeger six months ago, by chance in a random border search where he was hiding amongst legal immigrants, using the cover to ferry newer versions of the drug across the border to contacts he retained in the black market in America. He was being shipped back to America to stand trial for domestic abuse, and the murder of his wife, and then the Mexican courts would handle charges of human trafficking, human experimentation, unlawful imprisonment, and murder, as those found in the testing center were Mexican citizens. Levi's fingers itched. Grisha didn't deserve the cushy prison in America. He deserved to die, slowly, painfully, to witness the end of his own miserable existence with sobered eyes. 

Abusers were demented fucks. 

Eren Jaeger- he traced the name with his fingertips. He'd been taken into foster care, but the system was corrupt, "good samaritans" taking in children only to spend the government support check on drugs or booze. Eren had hopped houses for the entirety of his childhood. At fifteen, a close friend of the family, Armin Arlert, took him in to live with himself and his grandfather. They had been unable to take him in sooner due to the grandfather's cancer. They simply didn't have the money to support another, until the Arlert boy was old enough to work. Eren was eighteen now, attending the local Sina University with a full scholarship in Visual Arts. His high school teachers had remarked he painted like an old master. 

Six months ago, Levi'd had to contact him about his father. A young voice had answered the phone, and it was guarded. At first he had thought he'd gotten the wrong person. Levi'd been expecting a meek, broken voice. What he'd gotten was just the opposite. When he'd begun to explain about Eren's father, Eren had grown silent. He'd asked when the court date was set for, and then hung up. They hadn't had any contact from him since.  
Levi couldn't lie, he was curious as to the face that matched the voice. In any case, he'd find out tomorrow. The brat had to be there to testify against the sorry excuse for a human being that was his father. And Levi was going to take him down. The death penalty was too gracious for such a man as Grisha Jaeger.

He flipped the folder shut, checking his watch. It was almost 11:30. Hanji and Erwin had gone out for drinks earlier. They'd invited him to come, but he'd declined, pointedly stating that Hanji became even more of a handful when drunk. He chuckled lowly. Right now, Erwin was probably attempting to shove her drunk ass in a taxi. _Tch. The friends I have._  
He stood and straightened his tie, and retrieved his briefcase and suit jacket. It had started snowing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh hey, I didn't see you there.
> 
> Sorry this took so long guys! I was in Central America (whaaaaat) and I had NO electronics. None. Nada. Nein. So literally I scribbled this chapter and the next down in a teeny tiny notebook with a stubby pencil that had no eraser.
> 
> I had a good idea for an island setting fic, where the flesh-paring blades will be shaped like machetes-
> 
> Also, I might be getting into some art for these fics soon, though my skills are literal trash.
> 
> If I ask you guys questions, will you respond in the comments? I love reading comments!  
> Anyway, challenge: Name the weirdest fruit you can think of. I bet I can beat you. 
> 
> Deuces, -K


	6. Snowy Meeting

He slipped the folder in his suitcase, grabbed his jacket, and headed to the elevators. He walked through the corridor, windows on each side, the floor illuminated with soft blue light. Each step clattered sharply on the marble, lingering for a few moments in the quiet. He stopped for a moment, and the night remained unbroken. He turned his face upwards, towards the moon, a single white flake drifted lazily from the sky.

_It's snowing..._

He continued his noisy parade to the elevator, the doors slid shut. He leaned his head against the back wall, legs crossed, his weight balanced on the handrail. He looked up into the ceiling, polished gold reflecting a distorted image of himself. It blinked lazily at him, and let out a long breath.  
_Floor 1._  
The elevator settled, the doors opening jerkily. The entrance hall was empty, not even the sound of cars from the street disturbing the night, as a soft blanket of white fell quietly on the city. The neon signs from the bar across the street illuminated the frosted glass windows, colors dancing, shifting from blues, to greens, to reds. He took hold of the door, flipping his scarf around his neck, and braced himself for a rush of freezing air. He pulled, the door blew open violently. 

There was a shivering bundle of olive wool on the front stoop. 

_Is he drunk?_  
"Oi, you drunk?" 

The bundle emitted a broken sob, turning to see who it was that had disturbed him. I stared at the vibrant green eyes, blearily blinking away tears.  
Then it registered. _The kid from this morning._

"You drunk?" I said again. 

What the hell-no!" 

"Are you stalking me?" 

The kid stiffened, red-rimmed eyes hardening, "No!"  
He uncurled, brushing his coat off. 

_Who are you, green eyes?"_

"Then what are you doing here?" 

He stood, shooting a glare at me. "Nothing! I was just leaving!"  
He made to step off the sidewalk. 

_What am I doing?_

I caught his arm, "It's almost midnight. It's fucking snowing, and you're crying on the doorstep of my law office." I gestured at the door behind me, "Ackerman. That's me. I own the step you were crying on, so tell me what the hell a shitty brat like you is doing out here or I'll fucking sue you." _Harsh, Levi-_  
He gave me a nasty glare and tugged his sleeve from my grasp. 

"My father is back in town, okay? I haven't seen him since I was five. He...walked out on me, we're not on good terms, you could say."  
He laughed bitterly, scrutinizing the snow, and, as if he didn't want me to hear it, _"I wish he had killed me too."_

_Ah, the face to the voice._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Helloooooo Vienna!
> 
> We're just gonna pretend this chapter was posted yesterday.  
> Rough, uncut, realness.
> 
> Comments are awesome, leave your tumblr and I'll check it out!  
> -K


	7. On the Verge of Maiming a Particular College Student

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -why do you build me up, Buttercup, baby just to break me down?-
> 
> If you guys could, please hit up tumblr and report this guy [ cynical-kin ]
> 
> He reblogs and posts shit on people's self-love posts _encouraging suicide_ , and has a major vendetta against  
> queers of any kind, anyone with an eating disorder, depression, dysphoria, etc.  
> In short, he's a major fucking asshole. 
> 
> Some examples of his wonderfully positive tumblr comments:
> 
> [To a mtf transgender posting a selfie about feeling great af]  
> "I'm just wondering, how did they get those piercings in your fat face?"
> 
> [A post about lgbt pride t-shirts]  
> "You too, can be a fat hippo dyke"
> 
> [To ME, in regards to a Pokemon battle/run reference on a selfie]  
> "Smash its head in with a baseball bat and stomp on its dead body"  
> (but with really, really bad grammar)
> 
> [cynical-kin]  
> So yeah, go fuck his shit up. Give him hell. 
> 
> -K

EREN

A queer looked flashed across his face, then quickly resumed its impassivity. I almost questioned whether it had happened at all, or if it was just a trick of the light from one of the feeble lamps on the street. It was- recognition, almost? Why recognition? I mean, obviously he'd seen me this morning, maybe that was it. But no, it wasn't there before I explained about my father. What?  
Shit, it's cold out here. I'd been so focused on my grief that I didn't notice it'd dropped to negative-freeze-your-balls-off degrees out here. But Mr. Ackerman? just Ackerman?- he didn't seem to feel it. His nose and his cheeks were red, where they peeked out from his scarf. He actually looked kinda cute. Wtf. Cute? Just as I realized I was staring at him in a totally creepy way, I inhaled sharply, sure his head would whip around and those steel eyes scrutinize me. But he was staring past me, just over my shoulder, zoned in on something across the road. He didn't even blink, I couldn't even tell if he was breathing. I turned around, but all I saw was an alley just out reach of the light, and snowdrifts starting to pile up on the roads. If he didn't leave now, he might not be able to get home.  
I reached out, hand barely brushing his shoulder. 

LEVI

_"-man-mm-you-mm -okay?"_

I could've fucking sworn I just saw a guy across the street...who the hell would be out in a snowstorm? Something isn't right-

_"mmmm-get caught in the storm"_

What? My eyes snapped back to the hand on my shoulder. I looked up, into the brat's face. He looked so concerned.

_Oh f-_

He's so close to my face. I inhaled a scent of cinnamon and oil paints. Oh yeah, he's an artist.

God, his proximity was making my brain dull. I feel like I have the shittiest cold on the fucking planet. What's two plus two Levi? Five.  
My soul finally decided to grace me by tucking itself back into my body. "The fuck do you think you're doing, brat?" _Smooth, real fucking smooth_  
He flinched, withdrawing his hand, letting it hang limply by his side. 

"I'm sorry, you seemed out of it. I won't touch you so freely again."  
_Jesus kid, don't phrase it like that._

I frowned, "Don't let it happen again, shitty brat."

"You don't have to be a dick about it."

"Remember what I said about breaking your legs?"

He snorted, crossing his arms. "You're right. Then it might actually be a fair fight, since I'll be on your level," he sneered.

My eyes widened. _Don't be petty, Levi. Fuck off, conscience, I'm not listening._  
"You little-"

"Oh, I'm sorry, shortstop, did I-  
_offend_ you?"

I'm going to break every bone in his miserable little body.

He must have seen the rage that changed in my face, backtracking quickly and stumbling away from me, but he wasn't fast enough. I grabbed his collar and hoisted his ass up against the brick wall, "Listen you little shit, I could kick your little princess ass into next week with one fucking hand tied behind my back. And I don't take particularly well to shitty brats disrespecting me," I hissed through clenched teeth. "Try again and I. will. end. you."  
His hands gripped the arm that was holding him up. But he didn't say anything, breathing heavy, teeth bared in imitation of a snarl. And his eyes- they glowed like Greek fire, with all the ferocity of Poseidon and his seven seas. 

_There you are._

I gave him one particularly harsh shove, then dropped his ass. Collecting my briefcase from the door, I hopped off the steps.  
If it had been anyone else, I would've made sure they could never fuck right again. _Little shit better not be late for court tomorrow._


	8. Out of Breath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ayeeeee! I'm back!  
> Idek what is this chapter.   
> -K

Eren POV

\---

I was on fire.  
Thousands of ants surged underneath my skin, biting every inch. I was burning from the inside out- a human torch, if you will.  
Yeah, I'm used to it. Every insult, every orphan joke, every scuffed boot to the ribcage- I knew this feeling. It told me _Get up. Fight._. I always let out my aggression by pummeling those pricks into the ground. Bloody noses were my norm, the Dean's office my permanent residence. There was a chair, nearest to the little glass window that let the passerby see which delinquent Shadis was currently chewing out in his office, that might as well have a sign saying, "Reserved for Eren's Ass." Now that I'm in college, not everyone knows my case. Though, some fuckers (horseface) managed to find a way to stick around and still bring up the past. But this man, he's barely touched me.  
This is almost worse. 

I need to get back to the dorms- Armin will be worried, hell, Mikasa is probably already filing a missing persons report. But I can't move like this, not with my body on fire. So maybe the short crack was a little bit of a low (ha) blow. Something dangerous flashed in his eyes- anger, sister to lust. His hands roughly jerked my collar, hauling me up and slamming me into the brick wall, the bones in his knuckles pressing harshly against my collarbone. 

_"...-ing me!" He snarled._

I screamed back at him with my eyes. I know the pain of resetting broken bones. If he didn't hold back, neither would I. And he was so fucking calm, not a hair out of place, clothes immaculate, not even breathing hard. It pissed me off. I wanted to see him messed up, gasping, hair disheveled- 

"Tch" 

He dropped me, then. I slumped back against the brick, drawing in deep breaths. His black loafers shifted from my view, tapping on the concrete sidewalk, then muffling themselves in snow and then fading off softly into silence.  
And here I am, still flaming.  
Why didn't he hit me? Where is he going? Why, why, why? So many questions bounce around in my head. 

FUCK," I yelled, whirling around to punch the wall behind me. Brick broke apart and flew to the ground, a stray piece grazing my cheek, leaving a stinging wake in its path. I rested my clammy forehead against the cool wall, heat leaving me in a rush. My hand throbbed painfully, reminding me of its presence. I examined it, bloody, a few split knuckles. 

_Great, Kasa's going to murder me."_

She was bound to find out. There was nothing I could do about the blood on my clothes.  
Of course, it'd heal by the the time I reach the dorms. 

Unnoticed in the shadows, a pair of steel eyes watches the boy regard his bleeding hand as if it is a simple nuisance.  
_No human being should be that strong._


	9. Honey, I'm Home

Eren

Trudging down the hallway to my dorm room, leaving an icy trail behind me, I could already hear Mikasa's voice.  
"ARMIN, we have to call the police! Do you see how bad the snow is out there?! Eren should be home by now! He could've been jumped, or passed out- oh, Armin, what if he's freezing to death?-"  
Armin's ran beneath hers, a constant stream of hushed tones and shushing noises, obviously trying to keep her calm so the other students wouldn't complain. Man, I feel like shit for worrying them like I have. Finally stopping in front of our wooden door, I shucked my ice-ridden boots off and dug out my keys. Then I realized I probably didn't need them.  
Taking a deep breath, I pressed my palm against the wood and the door swung open. Armin was sitting on the couch, while Mikasa was pacing the middle of the room, distraught, hands gripping her silky black strands. They both became blurs in the next few seconds. "EREN!" They both flew at me, Mikasa had me in a bone-crushing hug, with Armin not far behind. "What the hell happened to you!?"  
"...why is there blood on your coat?"

"It's nothing 'Kasa, I just had a bad night."  
"Are you sure?" she said, as she led me to the couch. "I'm alright, I swear."  
"I don't believe you." "I'm fine!" "Let me look at you!"  
She forced me to stand up and hold my arms out while she circled me, looking at the blood on my sleeve. But no injuries were visible, so she huffed and sat down.  
"Is this about the court hearing tomorrow, Eren, because we can help y-" "Just a bad night," I cut Armin off there. "I ran into a guy. Nothing to worry about." 

Mikasa jumped up again at that. "Who was he? Did he hurt you, Eren? Did he touch you!? I'll kill that motherfucker!"  
I looked at Armin for help. He waved me off and got up to make coffee. "You're on your own for this one."  
I sighed and turned back to her. "Kasa, you know no one can hurt me."  
"Bullshit. You remember that one time Reiner elbowed you in the nose and broke it?"  
"That was an accident."  
"But it still hurt you."  
"It healed in less than ten minutes!"  
She made an exasperated sound and circled the coffee table. "Doesn't mean you should go around taking every punch aimed at you because you're fucking superman!"  
She threw her hands up and sat back down again. She looked me dead in the eye, and I could see all the pain, all the worry, "Just, be more careful, alright? Sure, you're above average, but you can still die." I nodded, and some of the tension went out of her shoulders. She leaned her head on my shoulder and I absentmindedly played with her hair.

"I just stayed too late at the studio and missed the bus. On my way back, I... remembered the night my mother died. It was ugly."  
Armin sat back down with the mugs of coffee. He handed one to me and one to Mikasa, "Was it as bad as the other times?"  
"Worse." That was all I needed to say, and it was all they knew I would say.

"So where does this mysterious guy come in?," Armin asked, nudging me with his elbow.  
"Well," I began, "I actually saw him this morning at the T-stop, before I met you at the coffeeshop."  
"Was he hot?" Mikasa looked up, scandalized, "Armin!?"  
"What, a man's got needs." He waggled his eyebrows in my direction, hiding a devilish smirk in his coffee.  
Mikasa cried out and covered my eyes. "Look away, Eren, or he'll ensnare you in his trap!"  
"Kasa, it's no secret that I'm gay..." She clutched at her heart and fake-fell off the couch, "Oh, you wound me!"  
We all burst out into laughter, bouncing off the walls, until I was crying and holding my sides. It was nice, like this. It was warm and bright and the edges were tinged with happiness. Eventually our giggles dies out, Mikasa gasping on the ground and Armin and I sniggering into our mugs. 

"so...was he?"  
"Oh my god, Armin, yes, he was!"  
"All I needed to know," he said, protecting himself from a kick from Mikasa with a pillow.  
"When did you see him again?, she asked, crawling back onto the couch beside me.  
"After I remembered mom, I had a panic attack, and I ended up on the front steps of a law office. Turns out it was his," I breathed out quickly. I knew she would be upset.  
"WHAT!?," Mikasa shrieked, dropping her mug on the carpet. Shards flew everywhere, and the brown liquid began to seep in and stain the grey shag. Armin cursed under his breath and rifled through his desk for paper towels, while Mikasa proceeded to berate me, "EREN YEAGER, you could have been kidnapped! Why didn't you call one of us? Why didn't you call 911?!"

"I didn't need to. I was fine." "Bullshit!" "Mikasa, calm down. I'm okay, aren't I?" She plopped back down next to me and shoved her head up under my chin. "Don't do shit like that," she whispered, "It scares me."  
I kissed her forehead, "I know and I'm sorry, 'Kasa. I will call you next time." She nodded, headbutting me in the chin. I took it as her forgiveness.

"He thought I was a drunken bum at first," I continued, "wanted to know what was wrong with me. I might have... insulted him a bit. Then he got pissed and left."  
I left out the part about him shoving me into the building. I would only worry Mikasa further, and for some reason, it felt... too intimate. I could still feel his hands pressed into my collarbones, his breath hot on my face, just a little too close together. Why was I remembering it like this? I could feel a flush creeping up my cheeks, so I hid my face in my coffee. 

"Where did the blood come from then?," Armin asked quietly. "Oh," I laughed it off nervously, "I got frustrated and pummeled a brick wall." I held my hands up, knuckles fully healed. "Shoulda seen the wall when I was done with it. Never stood a chance against the almighty Yeager." I cracked a shaky smile, hoping it was convincing enough. Looks like it was, because he didn't ask me about the blood anymore. Mikasa was silent against my shoulder, tired out.

The coffee now cleaned up, Armin returned to my other side and slipped an arm around me to hold onto Mikasa, them both encasing me in a sandwich hug. I spoke up, "Guys, I'm sorry. It's been a long night and I have to deal with my father tomorrow. It was just one bad night. Can we please just go to sleep?"

Kasa yawned, "Can I stay here tonight?" she asked.  
"Sure, " Armin said, untangling himself, "I'll get the air mattress out. Eren, why don't you go take a shower?"  
I groaned and Mikasa laughed, "that sounds heavenly." She slapped me in the arm, "get out, stinky."  
I shuffled around, grabbing my shower supplies and pajamas, and left the warm atmosphere of the room for the drafty hallway. As the door swung closed, I heard Mikasa and Armin excitedly chattering over the mattress, events of the day long forgotten. 

When I got to the showers, I found they were all vacant and quickly chose a stall. I flung my clothes off, not wanting to look in the mirror. I didn't need to see the burns from cigarette butts and acid, or the marks on my waist from the men my father whored me out to for research money, to know they were there. Just like the countless needle marks on my neck and shoulders. I was a living laboratory experiment, one that had gone horribly, horribly right.  
I turned the water on and let it beat my face, cascade over my shoulders and down between my hips, puddling at my feet and circling the drain. In my head, it was all red, like the day after they found me in that empty house, covered in my own blood, and alone with the corpse of my mother.

I turned the handle as far as it would go and felt the ants under my skin again,  
and I began to laugh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, look who we have here. The author has returned.  
> I emerge from my blanket cave after midterm exams unshowered, unshaven, and victorious.  
> Here comes the feels train. Choo choo, motherfuckers.


	10. Bloodborne Bloodline

Levi 

_The hell did I just see?_  
The idiot is just standing there, staring at his bleeding hand. He turns it over, examining the knuckles calmly, as if this happens all the time. I mean, shit, that's a lot of blood. Why isn't he doing anything?  
_Why am I not doing anything?_  
I pull out my phone and scroll through my contacts, looking for Hanji. My finger hovers over the call button, but I hesitate. A flurry of movement catches my eye, and I look back at the brat.  
He had crouched down into the snow, and although my hidden perch doesn't afford me the best view, it looks like he's cleaning the blood off with the snow. What good will that do, if it's still bleeding? Tch. Idiot.  
I press the call button and watch the boy as he rises to his feet. He examines his knuckles, finding-

_nothing?_

No blood dripping down into the snow, no split knuckles. He's perfectly fine. Not a scratch. 

He looked up at the sky and sighed, like he was sending a prayer to some unseen god. Shoving his hands into his pockets, he walks away in the direction of the university. 

"-evi? You there, grumpy?"  
"Shit, Hanji, you won't fucking believe this."  
I darted out from my hiding spot to the blood in the snow, shoving my phone between my shoulder and my ear.  
"Believe what? Levi, where are you? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. Listen, shitty glasses, how fast can you run some blood tests?"

\------------Some time later, Levi's apartment

"You're saying he's...what?"

"He's not human, Levi. At least, not entirely human. I've never seen anything like this! I've subjected his blood cells to everything that would nuke a human cell, but his keep regenerating! He has healing abilities like I've never seen. Who knows what else he can do?"

"Hanji, I saw him break apart a brick wall with his bare fist."

"Super-strength. Yeah, that could definitely be possible, with this sort of cellular modification. You don't think that means..."

"Grisha finished the serum, and tested it on Eren? That's exactly what I'm thinking. But it doesn't make any fucking sense. Why would he flee and keep testing, if he knew he already had a working formula?"

She shrugged. "Beats me. He was just a kid, Levi. Grisha probably developed the serum for adults. Maybe it didn't manifest until high levels of adult hormone were evident in Eren's body?"

She turned to the blood slides, practically drooling. "Do you think Grisha knows it worked?"

I hummed. "I don't think so, otherwise why would he have kept working?" The scene from earlier flashes back through my mind. 

"Hanji, there was a man following the kid today. He fucked off when he saw him talking to me."

"Who wouldn't? You're a scary shortie."

"Oi, shitty glasses, focus. I will break your test tubes."

"YOU WOULDN'T DARE HARM MY BABIES," she screamed, throwing herself on top of her work station and fending me off with a scalpel. 

I dodged her attacks and swiftly disarmed her. "Right now, we need to focus on getting Grisha's ass thrown in jail. Now we have something Grisha's defense doesn't know about- Eren."  
I told her my plan. 

"Do you really think that's a good idea, Levi? Eren is already going to be in an uncomfortable situation. Springing something on him like that may set him off."

"I can handle him. Just make sure everything is set up for me." 

She sighed. "Fine, Levi, but I still don't think it's a good idea."

I paused outside my bedroom door. Then I swiftly opened it, calling to her as it closed behind me,  
"Couch is yours, shitty glasses. You break shit, I break you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters in one day, what the fuck author?  
> I'm avoiding my responsibilities, naturally. 
> 
> By the way, I love when you guys comment. Leave me some funny ones?


	11. UPDATE 2/2

NEW CHAPTER WILL BE UP LATER TODAY  
STAY TUNED 

also if you have any questions you want to ask me, go for it. I'll answer!

Important Update: I am a shitty author. I'm sorry for the delay but I ended up having two tests tomorrow and a panic attack!

The chapter will be up tomorrow or the day after, once I regain my sanity :)


	12. Monsters of the Court

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How are you, my dahlings?  
> I know I said this would be up forever ago, but this shit was a pain in the ass to write. Ughhhh. Leave some fun comments for me. If you leave prompts, I'll write one-shots to feed your ereri desires. 
> 
> (Also I dropped a World of Warcraft reference in this chapter)  
> Dueces.

_"...the commencement of The People versus Grisha Jaeger..."_

Everything is hazy. I'm not even quite sure how I got here. All I remember are the courtroom's heavy oak doors, my silent procession down to the prosecution side. I only barely remember my surprise at Ms. Zoë's - the lawyer who has been in contact with me the last few months- absence. There's no way I could have overlooked her presence. In her place was a man, he looked slightly familiar. In my haze I couldn't care enough to identify him. My feet only barely got me this far. 

It's time for my father to be brought in. So long since I've seen him last. I think back to before the government experiment, before the abuse. His warm hands lifting me into the air - higher, higher still, until I felt like I could grasp the stars. My mother's laughter in the background. But the memory shatters all too soon. We stand for his entrance. He enters to an imaginary symphony of heavy footsteps and my mother's screams. He is the man angrily shoving money into a duffel bag, the man leaving the front door wide open to the cold without looking back. 

Now, he is no image of a god. His hair is long and greasy. His eyes, surprisingly alert in their sunken sockets. His nails are yellowed, his skin is dull. Orange doesn't suit him. 

He is going to die. And then, I will be alone in this world, forsaken. 

My heart wrenches apart. I feel it's sinewy strands pulled and snapping. My mother is dead, and I am left desperately trying to reconcile these two images of my father in my mind. I'm wrong. He died a long time ago, and I along with him. Monsters rose in both our places. 

"We would like to ask Eren Jaeger to give a demonstration."

I tune back into the world, sounds and colors filtering into my senses once again. The whole courtroom is looking at me expectantly. Who is it that spoke? Until I see _him._  
Mr. Ackerman? Yet there he is, dressed in a sharp grey suit, a black tie, and immaculately shined black dress shoes. He meets my gaze with neutral eyes, hand sweeping towards the front of the court in a grand gesture, as if impatient with my hesitance. 

"If you will, Mr. Jaeger. We haven't all day."

I'm confused. Just what the hell did I miss? My feet act of their own accord. I rise slowly and approach the front, where two officers are stacking steel blocks - one, two, three. All stacked together. I turn to look at this man, the one whose eyes are seared into my eyelids. 

"Mr. Ackerman, what exactly am I supposed to do with these?"

"Break them, Mr. Jaeger." 

So simple a command. His deep voice is sharp, to the point of portraying annoyance. He pins me with his mercury gaze, waiting. The room seems to buzz with heightened energy. An undercurrent of murmurs runs throughout those in attendance. 

"That's impossible, Mr. Ackerman." 

"That remains to be proven. Please proceed, Mr. Jaeger."

He bites out the formality, clearly miffed by my apprehension. However, he remains unperturbed. He won't let this go easily. 

The judge decides that right now is the time to butt in:  
"I must say, Mr. Ackerman, this is something I am interested in seeing. Mr. Jaeger, the court compels you to continue with the proceeding. If you cannot, the point of arguing Dr. Jaeger's experimentation had the possibility of blooming into a form of biological warfare will be dismissed. I advise you not to allow that to happen."

Shit, shit, SHIT! I'm so fucked! This will expose me to everyone! My father... is on the edge of his seat? Don't tell me... does he not know?! That he succeeded? How ironic, the one thing he hates the most has become his greatest achievement. Fuck him, fuck the judge, fuck Levi fucking Ackerman! 

I'm so angry, but I have no choice. Let's just hope that when I get taken away, they can find a way to kill me. I turn to the steel blocks. The whole court waits with bated breath, the only sound the ticking of the clock on the wall. I raise my hands, and... 

_and everything explodes._


	13. Love Thy Father

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I wrote this on a whim so if there are a shit ton of mistakes, whoops. 
> 
> Leave comments! I love reading comments!

Every window the the courtroom shattered inward at that instant. Everyone in the room ducked and covered their faces, no one anticipating the men that came streaming through the windows by the dozens. Men clad entirely in black, faces obscured by grotesque animal masks, dropping down from ropes. Everyone began to run. The center aisle became clogged by throngs of people attempting to escape through the heavy wooden doors, all the while more and more men keep dropping from the windows. The first one pulls out an enormous gun, a young woman screams, and the crowd of people renews their struggle to escape. Small globes hit the floor, exploding into clouds of smoke which burn my eyes and send people into coughing fits, obscuring the entire courtroom.

In a matter of moments, the courtroom had become a hazy battlefield. I can't see hardly anything. Every once in a while the swirling smoke clear and I am able to glimpse someone running, shirt pulled up over their nose and mouth, or it reveals to me one of those masks, so inhuman. And always looking directly at me. Why me?

They haven't killed anyone yet, despite being armed. In fact, they seem to be completely ignoring the people escaping the courtroom. All their attention is focused on the front, where I remained behind the blocks frozen, having taken advantage of the lack of sight to conceal myself somewhat. I see my father cowering under the defense' desk, shackled hands over his nape as he presses his forehead to the ground as if he wants to fall through it. I spare a thought towards Mr. Ackerman. I cannot see the prosecution side, so I have no way of knowing whether he made it out. Or Mikasa or Armin for that matter. They know nothing humane could kill me, and I know Armin would have dragged a kicking and screaming Mikasa out to find help as quickly as possible. I had lost sight of them when the smoke bombs dropped. 

The men are slowly advancing towards the front of the courtroom, their focus on the defense desk. The largest man, whose face I still could not see because of a mask, reached under and hauled my sorry excuse for a father up by the back of his clothing. My father dangled from his grip, attempting to lash out at the man but too far away. Another pulled his gun from its holster and pointed it at him. He desperately clawed at the man until he had exhausted himself, then sagged, sobbing. 

"Please don't kill me. Please. Please, I have a son..."

He repeated those phrases over and over like a scratched record, and my eyes widened as I listened. Does he still care for me? This man, who made my life a living hell, who turned me into a monster, who killed my mother- my father- does he love me? 

The silence stretched for hours as I battled internally. I couldn't let them kill him! He's my dad! But he killed mom...did he mean to? Was it a mistake to him? Did he regret it? I need answers. I've needed them for so long. He can't die yet. He CAN'T!

"DAD!" I screamed as I wrenched myself from behind the stacked blocks, 

but I was too late.

Everything seemed to move in slow motion. The man's muscles clenched as he pulled the trigger. My father, hearing my outcry, turned to look at me, mouth agape. And then he slumped. The bullet had gone straight through his temple. The man who had been holding him dropped my father's limp body unceremoniously, letting him crumple on the floor as a pool of dark blood began to spread. All the men in black turned to me, and that is when I realized I was truly fucked. 

I couldn't get my legs to move. Normally, they would obey me. Normally, I could take my rage and let loose on these bastards. But I felt limp.  
Alone. I am alone now, completely and totally alone. Perhaps dad never meant to kill mom, perhaps it was the drugs...I will never have the answers I so desperately need. And I am alone.  
My knees buckle beneath me even as the men begin to converge. I feel no survival instinct to run. I only want the sweet darkness. Maybe they can bring it to me?


	14. Light at the End of the Tunnel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, so I had a panic attack so I decided to write.  
> Also, I got into college? 
> 
> Leave comments, doesn't matter how old or about what, they just always make me smile. 
> 
> Question: do any of you watch Voltron?

It was like everything was in slow motion.  
The men were still coming, of course, but they advanced at a snail's pace. Everything sounded as though it were covered by a damp blanket, footsteps slow and heavy, the smattering of gunshots, barked orders fell on my deaf ears. I slid to my knees in broken glass, one hand supporting myself on the side of a bench, and just stared. I felt hopeless.  
My father is dead. Mikasa and Armin are surely dead.  
I am an orphan monster, aren't I? How wretched. 

I didn't realize I was crying until the tears streamed, hot and wet, down my cheeks. I stared numbly at the battle before me. Smoke bombs obscured most of the courtroom, the swirling mass parting to reveal separate body parts, collectively creating the illusion of some grotesque dance of worship. 

I could feel it, deep in my chest- a little flame, implanted in me. 

"Fight" it crooned, "Kill" it whispered. 

It multiplied quickly, each bit of flame jumping to the dry brush of my consciousness and growing ever bigger. I closed my eyes and the blaze swelled behind my eyelids. It shook me, pulled my slumped form from the ground, and I stood. When I opened my eyes, I saw nothing but the flames. They scorched my very humanity, and yet I could not bring it in myself to care. The inner beat roared and pounded on its chest, too long it had awaited bloodshed. I spent so long, so so long conning it into slumber, and now it was rekindled. 

It rose to the surface, possessing my body- hands ready to throttle and snap, teeth ready to rip and shred. The creature inside me cracked a lazy smile, a promise of bloodlust and proof of insanity. And receding into my own mind, I reclined in the burning brush and let it scorch me. Time to burn. 

Something strange happened, then. A hand- not mine- fell upon my shoulder. It startled my monster, as it whipped around to snarl at whomever it may be. I was content to rest on my burning bed, but the voice called me to the surface, doused me in a rush of freezing water and weakened my knees.

Hand clapped tight upon my shoulder, barely above a whisper- "Eren."

It was all he said, and all he needed to say to have me rushing to to the surface, stumbling in my haste, as my eyes flew open. It was loud, the men so close I could hear them breathing. Levi, quick as a whip, slid his hand across my chest and pulled my back to his front, the other hand tugging a silver pistol from his waistband and aiming it with his other. I couldn't see his face, but I could feel his chest rise and fall against me in steady, even breaths, the cool air fanning out over my neck. I could see his arm aiming the gun past my head- no suit jacket, just a white dress shirt rolled up- spattered with blood. Is it his?

I was out of commission, utterly disarmed by his proximity. It was as if he shoved the beast back into his tiny cage, and I was the broken boy left in the aftermath. The men were closer now. Levi fired off a round of shots, each one finding its target- every time, one after the other. He walked us backwards slowly, and I realized he meant to escape through the door to the underground holding cells, which were able to be locked and were more secure. My feet caught on the the floor after him. The men were yelling violently, hurriedly. He dragged me past the defense, and I looked at my father, and then the door shut and we were flying down the passageway to escape, until we reached the end and Levi opened the door and the sunlight welled up in front of my eyes and suddenly I fainted. 

I expected to feel concrete, but I didn't.


	15. The Morning After

The first thing Eren registered when he woke up was pain. A full body, mind-numbing pain that had him shifting uncomfortably. The second thing he registered was that he was hungry, really fucking hungry. He groaned weakly and opened his eyelids, the harsh sunlight momentarily blinding him, causing him to shrink back with a whimper. He tried again, blinking rapidly as he adjusted into a sitting position with a groan, his back protesting. Slowly, his vision cleared and he was able to make out that he was in an abnormally clean space, on a bed softer and better smelling than anything he'd ever had. He eyed his own reflection in a mirror settled on a dresser across from the bed. Everything in the room was swathed in shades of ash and slate, weak morning light settling on each object like a thin blanket of softness, highlighting individual motes of dust in the air. Eren stretched out his hands, swirling the air and sending the particles into swirling disarray. Everything in the courtroom slowly began to resurface- his father's death, the men, Mr. Ackerman- that's right, Mr. Ackerman was the last person he saw. They'd escaped. He had so many questions. Why did those men kill his father? Who were they? And what exactly happened after his world went dark? Strange, he thought, that he felt a pervading sense of calm. Alone in this world, in this unfamiliar room, he knew facing the truth was inevitable, but for now, he'll take what sensibility remains in his grasp. He carded his hands through his messy hair and fell back into the pillows with a muffled _whumph_. 

He stayed until the soft creak of the door alerted him to a second presence almost an hour later. He struggled to sit up as the door swung open and the light of the hallway poured in, highlighting the figure of none other than Levi Ackerman himself. He crossed his arms and leaned against the doorway, silently observing Eren. Eren stretched with a grunt of pain and turned so his feet hung off the edge of the mattress. 

"Where am I?" he questioned Levi. "My home," was the curt reply. Ah, now the cleanliness made sense. Mr. Ackerman seemed the type to keep everything in order. A few seconds may have passed, before Levi extricated himself from the doorway and called over his shoulder, "Come to the kitchen brat, breakfast is ready. I'll answer any questions you have after." Eren shrugged and hopped down, shuffling out into the bright light of the hallway, the floor cold against the soles of his feet. He followed Levi's retreating figure across the big house, into a kitchen gleaming from every surface. 

"Ms. Hanji!" he exclaimed, spotting the familiar figure at the kitchen table, nursing a mug of coffee. When she saw him, her face broke out into a huge smile. "Oh, my poor baby!" she cried, sweeping him into a crushing hug. "Welcome back to the world of the living! How are you feeling, honeybuns?" 

"I'd be better if you put me down," Eren mumbled, face smushed against her chest. "Shitty glasses, put the brat down. You'll break his fucking spine," Levi said, from his spot by the stove. He turned back to monitoring the eggs and bacon in a pan. "Sorry, cutie pie," Hanji said as she released him, "I'm just so glad to see you intact after yesterday. If you don't mind, I have some questions about your father..." Eren rounded the table and sat down, scrubbing his face with the sleeve of his shirt. "Later, shitty glasses, let him eat first," Levi admonished, setting a plate of eggs, bacon, toast, and orange slices in front of Eren. Startled, Eren looked up, but Levi was already retracting his hand. Without thinking, Eren grabbed it, stopping him from returning to the stove. He looked at Eren, a barely raised eyebrow questioning the boy's actions. "Ah, I suppose I should thank you," Eren squeaked out, dropping Levi's hand abruptly once he'd realized what he'd done, directing his gaze to the floor as his cheeks flooded with color. _Shit, fuck, why did I do that?_

A hand under his chin snapped him out of his horror, firmly forcing him to raise his head. He was met with the same familiar mercury eyes, but somehow softer this time. He found that he couldn't look away, and Levi's face was so close to his own, he could feel the man's breath fanning over his face, the brunette's eyelids fluttering. No one spoke a word, he wasn't even aware of Hanji's presence anymore. A thumb smoothed over his cheek and he nuzzled into the touch, but then Levi was pulling away. "You're welcome," he spoke lowly, breaking the spell. If he wasn't red before, Eren was definitely tomato status at this point. He glanced at Levi's back as he went back to tending the stove, then began digging into his food with his head down to hide his roaring blush. Hanji was frozen in the middle of the kitchen, gawking, eyes darting between the two. She finally picked her jaw up off the floor, taking a seat across from Eren. "Scrambled or fried?" Levi called over his shoulder. "Scrambled," she responded, eyes fixated on Eren's face. A few minutes later, Levi shut off the stove and slid into the seat next to Eren with two plates, sliding one across the table to Hanji. Hanji started up light conversation with Eren, avoiding the heavy topics of yesterday's events. Levi tuned out the constant twittering, content just to listen to Eren's voice. Since when had he ever heard such a voice? It flowed like music, loud snorts of laughter oddly melodic, and the faintest smile crossed over Levi's face as he listened. 

Eventually, when they had finished, Levi shooed the two idiots into the living room so he could do the dishes. "Shooed" being a more delicate term for "threatened to beat them to death with a frying pan if they didn't get the fuck out." But hey, whatever works. He joined them in the living room later, sitting in a chair by the fireplace. The atmosphere grew tense, so he broke the silence. "Eren, we have to ask about your father."

The boy curled up into the corner of the couch, a pillow pressed to his stomach, and sighed heavily. "Like I told Hanji," he said, "there's not much I know about him after he took off." 

"Did you know the nature of his work when he was with you and your mother?" 

"I was too young to comprehend the specifics, all I knew was that mom was upset about the experiments. He came home late often, and he and mom used to fight late at night, when they thought I had already gone to sleep. It was so loud, though, I could hear it through the walls," he said, squeezing the pillow tightly to his chest. "My mother was screaming about some 'bad people,' she said the were a threat, to our family and my future as well. That was only a few days before he murdered her and left me to die." Eren's eyes had a faraway look to them, recalling the time he described. "Who were those men yesterday? Do you know what they wanted? Why they killed Grisha?" 

Hanji moved to Eren's side on the couch, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. I nodded to her. "Eren, we need you to stay calm while Levi tells you what he is about to. Can you do that for us?" He nodded. "What's going on?" he asked me. 

"Eren, what your father was working on was a serum. It was meant to enhance a soldier's abilities, so that the United States could build the strongest defense force on the planet." Eren's eyes widened, "Were those men government men?" 

"No, your father's work began to be questioned, and considering it too dangerous, the US government ordered that the operation be dismantled completely. At that point, your father had been on experimental forms of the drug for so long, he was unstable, took the experimental version of the serum, and disappeared. When we picked him up, he was running an illegal lab in Mexico, using illegal immigrants betrayed by their coyotes as human test subjects." A hint of understanding flashed in Eren's eyes. 

"So, when he left me, he must have gone to Mexico...but why..."

"Why keep experimenting if he'd already succeeded?" I offered. Eren looked bewildered, suddenly on edge and defensive. He looked like he was going to bolt any second. I sighed, "Yes Eren, we know. Both of us." 

He looked like he was going to be sick. "...how?..."

"The night we first spoke, outside my office? I saw you break the wall, I called Hanji, and we analyzed a sample of your blood from the snow.''

"Your cells are remarkable!" Hanji interjected, "They regenerate at a rate faster than ever seen in any living being, human or otherwise!" 

Eren jumped at the sudden outburst, then turned his eyes back to me. "That's why you...in the courtroom..." His eyes narrowed, he got up from the couch and stalked over to me, getting right up in my face. "You BASTARD! You would have revealed me to everyone! They would have dragged me away and tortured me! What the hell is wrong with you?!" He went to shove me, but I caught his wrists. He struggled, throwing biting words at me. 

"They wouldn't have," I said calmly, "because I would have protected you. No one would lay a finger on you without going through me first." 

Eren was struck by the memory of Levi, with the gun in the courtroom. He had protected him, hadn't he? He wrenched his hands out of my grip and stalked back to the couch, slumping into the cushions with a dissatisfied huff. "Still gives you no right, you bastard." 

"We don't think Grisha knew he succeeded," Hanji offered, "because he continued testing in Mexico. Do you remember any first instance where you may have developed side effects from the serum?" Eren rolled his eyes back in contemplation.

"Oh! When I was 14, I was in one of the foster homes, with a family who hated me," he laughed bitterly, "They used to lock me in the attic when visitors came, 'bad image' and all that. One time, I broke out the window and climbed down the gutter. Then I ripped the gutter off the side of the house and broke it in half." He smiled. I honestly didn't know what to think of that. "Oh Eren, I'm so sorry..." she whispered, tears streaming down her face. "It's fine," he said, "not like that was even the worst anyway." I couldn't stand hearing more without going on a murderous rampage through all of the abusive foster families, so I decided not to question that statement. 

"So it must have coincided with puberty then. You wouldn't have shown signs when your father was still around." The pieces of the puzzle were slowly starting to fall into place, except one giant part was still missing. 

"So, if those men weren't from the government, then who the hell were they?" Eren asked. My brows were drawn together. There was no mention of an agency Grisha worked under in the file, but there must have been one. But who? This was the biggest question. "Honestly Eren, we don't know, but it seems they know quite a bit about you." He paled suddenly, trembling a bit, though obviously trying to hide it. "So, what now then?" 

A long silence passed between the three of us. He was right. What do we do now? I could go back to my cushy lawyer gig, or I could uncover a case eighteen years in the making. Ultimately, it was Hanji who answered for me, but mine would have been no different:

"Now, we go to Mexico."


	16. Save the Boy

\- Levi POV - 

_Back at the trial..._

_No, no, NO! Where is Eren?_  
I'd lost him in the smoke and chaos. It was burning my eyes and lungs, making me cough. People keep slamming into me as they scramble to reach the doors. The men are still streaming through the windows in endless numbers. They're not going after civilians, not even trying to stop them from leaving... they're all focused on the front of the courtroom...

The men are making their way towards us through the smoke, the creepy animal masks look like disembodied creatures in the swirling dust and smoke. They look so familiar...  
_Like the man I saw when I first met Eren._  
That's right! At the time, I couldn't comprehend the blurred shape I'd seen over Eren's shoulder, but he must have been wearing one of these shitty masks. 

I back up towards the judge's box, when I hear hacking off to the side. I take a glance behind the steel bricks and see Eren, doubled over. His shoulders are slumped, he looks like he may be in pain. Then the smoke swallows him back up. _Shit!_

The men are slowly advancing. I know there's a door to criminal holding behind us both, which has a secure entrance to escape. Surely Eren will see me heading for it, and follow as well? I take the chance and sprint for the door, but my hand pauses on the handle when I realize that I don't hear footsteps behind me. I turn, trying to catch sight of the green-eyed brat. I squint, barely able to make out his shape. The smoke bombs are clearing. He hasn't moved?! 

_What's wrong with him? Does he WANT to end up dead?!_

Tch. His fault. I'm saving my own ass while I can. _Such a shame, he's an interesting kid._ I turn back to the door, but my hand hovers over the handle. Can I really do this again? Is this not what caused me so much pain in the first place? Would this make me like _him?_

Kenny. The bastard. _Boy, you weren't meant to be on the surface. You'll never survive up there- never fit in. You're rough and tough, all you'll do is leave people to die. You're selfish, no matter what you tell yourself, you'll save yourself over anyone. Just like your ol' Uncle Kenny, heh. Selfish._ I can't do this again. I can't.

 _Damn green eyes, worming their way into my head. I'm already too attached._ I growl and wrench myself away from the door, grabbing at my head. _Make his voice go away, go away, go away...all that matters is Eren. His skin. His voice. His eyes...they can't have him. They can't have him because he's MINE._

A growl rips it's way from my throat, arm reaching back to tug my pistol from my waistband, as I come up behind Eren. He's not slumped anymore, shaking with rage. He's about to become catatonic, go beastie on these fuckers. If he does, he may never get back. I can't let him self-destruct. I've let too many people down. He will not be one of them. 

I place my hand on his shoulder and lean in. He looks back at me with wild eyes, blazing green with rage. "Eren," I say, for once pouring my feeling into my voice. Desperation. Longing. I slip an arm around his lean waist and pull him to me. With my other I aim and fire, taking out each and every fucker that gets near us. No one will have him. He's mine. I can feel his heavy breathing, and I know he's confused, eyes fixed on my face. Just like that day at the train station. But my skin doesn't itch anymore, it positively _burns._

He's so out of it. I tug him towards our exit, still keeping the wave of attackers at bay. It's time for us to leave. He's lost so much today, but he won't lose me. We reach the door, and slip into the passageway. Fresh air blasts our bodies, and I can hear what I presume is Hanji careening around the corner in her Jeep, coming to get us. I blink in the sudden sunlight. Eren's eyes roll back, and I suddenly find him in my arms, completely unconscious. Hanji is running towards us both, shouting, but all I hear is his name, over and over, like blood pounding in my ears. _Eren, Eren, Eren..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well hello there!
> 
> So crazy stuff has happened since we last talked- I turned 18, graduated high school, got the Voltron symbol tattooed on my bicep...and this week I'm shaving my hair off! 
> 
> Any crazy adventures happening to you guys?  
> -


End file.
